The End Zone (Atlanta Lightning 2)

“Oh, ouch. Look at that block from Anson Hawkins!” the first one added.

My heart was in my throat. This wasn’t the first time I’d seen Darren play, but the closer we got, the harder it became. Every time someone got near him, I wanted to storm the football field and tell them to stay the fuck away from my man. That was mixed with how fucking hot he was out there and me wanting to claim him. Darren was badass. Like the announcer said, he’d always been a top player, but this, this year, was different.

I leaned close to West. “It’s so stressful. How do you do this?”

“Yeah, it fucking kills me every time. He comes home covered in bruises. While it’s obviously hot watching him play, I’m not gonna say I don’t look forward to the day he retires.”

I nodded, understanding where he was coming from. I returned my attention to the field, to the Lightning as they got a first down. I was wearing Darren’s jersey, the rest of our group in Anson’s. It was nice seeing West with his new family. When we’d arrived, he’d joked around with Elias, laughed with Carly, and kissed Cheryl on the cheek and called her mom. His own family couldn’t see past his sexuality, but he’d found the love he deserved in Anson’s.

Would Darren’s be accepting? He said they would, and he’d felt comfortable enough to invite me and they’d said yes, but it was still always a fear in the back of my mind.

I watched as they snapped the ball. Darren bounced on his toes, eyes darting around the field. Anson blocked defense on one side, their wide receiver breaking free. The receiver was in the end zone when Darren’s arm went back and he launched a bullet pass his way.

It all happened so fast after that. One of the Bison players went straight at him. He already had been when Darren was throwing, but then he connected, just after the ball left Darren’s hand.

He knocked Darren down, and Darren’s hand shot out to catch himself, likely on reflex. The other player fell on top of him, the crowd gasping as Darren’s arm—his dominant arm—visibly snapped. When the other player got up, Darren didn’t. He lay on the field, clutching his right arm.

My heart dropped, everything going echoey around me. I felt a hand on me and knew it was West giving me his support.

No…no, no, no, no.

The guys started calling medical onto the field, the touchdown completely forgotten. Anson was right there by his side.

I jerked the ear bud out.

It was as if the whole stadium was silent, but I knew it wasn’t—it was just me, tuning them all out, except West’s quiet, “Fuck.”

Everyone watched while the medical team circled Darren, examining him. The commentators were speaking overhead, but I couldn’t work out what was being said. All I could do was focus on him.

“Are they splinting him?” I asked West.

“Yeah, looks like it.”

He stood after that, and everyone cheered as Darren was led off the field. My stomach twisted. I was afraid I would throw up.

“Come on,” West said. “We have passes. Let’s see if we can get down there and find anything out.”

“I don’t know if I should.” No one knew who I was to Darren. I couldn’t tell them. His family would have passes too, and they were probably heading to see him now. He’d told them I was his buddy, but then, friends obviously cared about each other too. And God, I wanted to see him. I needed to make sure he was okay.

“Darren and Anson are close. I’m Anson’s husband. It’ll be fine. You’ll drive yourself crazy if you don’t go,” West said, and he was right.

I was shaking, everything still echoey in my head as West talked to Cheryl, Elias, and Carly.

I followed West, showing our passes on our way to the locker room. “They have medical equipment here. They’re likely taking an x-ray. I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

West was trying to make me feel better, but it wasn’t working. Everyone had seen Darren’s arm snap. It was clear this wasn’t minor. I just wanted to see him, hold him, but I might not be able to do that. It wasn’t as if the staff could know what he was to me.

When we got to the hallway where the locker room was, a woman was pacing outside, and two men waited there with her—his stepdad and Mia’s fiancé.

West squeezed my shoulder. They all looked at us as we approached. “Hey, West. How’s it going?” the older man asked. Of course they knew each other; Anson and Darren were close. I’d seen them at the wedding, but hadn’t been introduced, and they’d left before the reception.

“I’m okay, but concerned for Darren. This is Jeremy, a friend of mine and Darren’s. We wanted to check on him and see how he’s doing.”